Thieves Around the U.S. Stealing Manhole Covers
July 8, 2008
A sign of true desperation: with the U.S. economy sagging, people have started resorting to stealing manhole covers to sell as scrap metal. The price of metal has skyrocketed lately, so thieves around the country have started stealing the 200-lb covers by the hundreds. Funny thing is, for all the effort it likely takes to haul off an iron manhole cover, you can only get $10-$15 each for them.
From USA Today:
“It’s a sign of the times,” says Sgt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, where 28 manhole covers disappeared in April and May. “When the economy gets bad, people start stealing iron.”
It’s the first year he has seen such thefts since he started with the department 16 years ago.
Long Beach has lost more than 80 covers this year. People who have damaged their cars driving over manholes have filed claims with the city, Alsop says.
“Our No. 1 concern” is safety, he says. “A small kid can fall into these holes,” which can be 20 feet deep.
Hey, I guess meth heads gotta get their fix somehow! Seriously though, what’s next? They’re stealing copper wire off construction sites, catalytic converters straight from parked cars all over the place, and now manhole covers. Should I be locking down my metal patio set?
Link [USA Today]
Photo credit: Drugfree.org
China Gets a Bargain on Peru’s ‘Copper Mountain’
June 29, 2008
One of the most productive copper mines on earth – Mount Toromocho in Peru – is now in the hands of China. Chinese officials plan to exploit the mountain for all it’s worth, sending all of the copper back home to carry out the electrification of the entire country. The deal not only cheats Peruvians out of the true value of the copper mine, since it was sold to China for such a ‘great bargain’, but will displace all of the residents of the area.
From the BBC:
The Peruvian government is happy with the $3bn (£1.53bn) that Chinalco will invest in the Toromocho mines.
The Chinese will be even happier. They have got themselves a bargain.
The copper Chinalco extracts from Toromocho will cost something like US$410 (£210) per ton. Today, the price for copper on the London Metal Exchange was $8,255 (£4,220) – 20 times more.
Chinalco stands to make a 2,000% profit on its investment.
As destructive as it is, there should be a worldwide ban on mountaintop removal for mining purposes. This isn’t just about frightening amounts of power in the hands of China, taking advantage of poor countries, forcing people out of their homes and displacing wildlife. It’s a scary trend that threatens the beauty of the natural world and has the potential to create even more pollution than we’re already dealing with. China has already shown that the environment is far from its top priority, and as the BBC mentions, it has ‘vast reserves of foreign currency’ at its disposal.
Link [BBC]
